2019 Fintech Growth Programme announced for UK’s rising fintech stars

Tech Nation, the scale-up network for UK entrepreneurs, has announced it is calling for applicants for its 2019 Fintech Growth Programme. The Programme is delivered as part of HM Treasury’s Fintech Sector Strategy.

Running from September 2019 to March 2020, the leadership development programme is designed to connect and create opportunities for the founders of the UK’s most promising fintech scale-ups.

The programme puts fintech CEOs through nine themed insights sessions, covering topics such as regulation, partnering with established financial services firms, and expanding internationally. The cohort will also attend networking events to meet key stakeholders and decision makers, and the programme will culminate with a three-day international showcase trip to the US.

25 companies will be selected by a panel of expert judges, including Eileen Burbidge, Partner at Passion Capital & Chair of Tech Nation; Anne Boden, CEO of Starling Bank; and Simon Taylor, Co-Founder and Blockchain Practice Lead at 11:FS.

Though external funding is not a requirement, applying companies must be at a stage of development equivalent to seed or Series A, have a product in market used actively, and be headquartered in the UK. The programme is open to B2B companies, and for the first time this year Tech Nation is also accepting B2C companies onto the programme.

The follows the recent launch of the annual state-of-the-nation Tech Nation Report, which revealed that the UK is number one in the world for scale-up investment into fintech firms – generating £4.5bn in funding between 2015 and 2018.

The 2018 cohort of the Tech Nation Fintech Growth Programme raised an average of £1.1m each last year. Of the 20 companies, 35% were based outside London, and 40% had a female founder or co-founder.

Greg Michel, Tech Nation Fintech lead, commented: “Tech Nation’s Fintech Programme identifies the rising stars in the industry and helps them scale to even greater horizons. The last cohort companies have closed multiple funding rounds, won prestigious awards, struck strategic partnerships and expanded abroad while on the programme. In 2019 we are looking to replicate this success by connecting and creating opportunities for the most promising fintech companies wherever they are based in the country so that they can compete on the global stage.”

Neil Garner, CEO at Thyngs, Norwich, commented: “Tech Nation’s Fintech Programme helped Thyngs establish positive conversations with key stakeholders and helped us on our growth journey. We have since secured key industry veterans to lead international expansion in the US and Asia, ready to start once funding has closed with good working relationships with DIT and Australia High Commission thanks to programme.”

Applicants can apply on the Tech Nation website between 5th June and 9th July.